A Tale of Misadventure
by White Mage Koorii
Summary: Two heros, a whole world in which to explore, a destiny to fulfill, an ingenious story of.. Er, wait, no... Wrong story.
1. Meet the 'Heros'

**Disclaimer: **I have no rights to Nexon or Maple story, I was simply bored.

**A/N: **Based on a true story. Ish.

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"An adventurer walked down the road, he was a fresh faced youth, full of hope and dreams! New, was he, to the path of the crusader, setting forth on his very first journey. Unfortuantely our brave hero met several horrible monsters, and as defeat loomed large luck would have a lass of priestly garb wander by! The youth did call out to the girl, and the girl turned a look of shock flying ot her features at the sight of the poor soul, and battered and near beaten!

"Calling for help the brave young lad, fended the fangs of the monsters, barely keeping them at bay! The lass, lifted her staff, and the young man could almost smile for relief, she would heal him and victory would be his! But nay! The lady priest turned, and high tailed it with quick feet for some distance, scrambling atop a low rise, from whence she peered as in distress the adventurer gaped before his face was rent in two. The dear cleric would thusly snicker as she viewed the end of the lad, from her fine safe keep.

"Upon returning unto the cloisters whence she came the leader of her order approached the lass, and he said 'I have seen your actions! Why does one such as you find amusement in the pain of others, child?'

"And she looked upon the elder and exclaimed 'Oh, come on, you can't tell me that wasn't funny!'

"Shocked beyond belief the elder replied... -"

"Oh, jesus... Shut _up_, Huckle!" The sharp bark of words interrupted the rambling tale, followed by a snort of laughter which sprayed a gyser of liquid across the half heartedly polished surface of a counter. The ambiance of the place was that of the dank dungeon mind set, with low flickering torches attached to damp walls stone walls. A mysterious chill draft caused the low flames on the half gone candles (placed just so, to make the shadows that much deeper!) to gutter. This was Huckle's Hole in the Wall, a not so reknowned 'watering hole.'

It was here, that the tale was being told to a few odd adventures, weary of their climb either up or down the tower and with the knowledge fo the Hole's existance. (That is, the few people who came around more often than to inform the old man of what a bad dog owner he was.)

"Aww," a second voice whined piteously interrupting the moment of silence as everyone turned to stare at the first speaker. "Look what you made me do, Wrie." The owner of the first voice, a young woman with short cropped garnet hair preened, proud of her 'accomplishment, while the other young woman with silver hair that effectively hid one eye mopped at the remains of the drink that had escaped from her mouth.

The garnet haired one turned back to the old man who was glowering through the wild hair of his beard, "That's not how it happened at all, anyway: We were running from those monsters..." she said, jabbing the small blue paper umbrella that had come with her Pepe on the Rocks (A drink that had originated in El Nath and eventually made it to the Hole due to some personage or other throwing a right temper at not getting his favorite drink. Apparently the poor sentinel's had hidden for days afterwards, making it so that Huckle had a ridiculously hard time collecting his "magical ingrediants." Honestly, how was he going to get that new mosaic countertop for the bar without sentinel pieces?!)

"And screaming." piped up the silver haired one.

Rolling her eyes Wrie agreed with a bit of reluctance, "...and screaming. When we ran into the guy, it's not our fault that he defended us with his face. Right, Pyro?"

Grinning in amusement Pyro tossed her sopping napkin into a nearby trashbin, "Right, and it _was_ funny, you know."

Wrie smirked bobbing her head in affirmative motion, "Of course it was. The idiot got totally owned. And anyway, it was all Pyro's fault in the first place."

"WHAT?!"

"Well, it was. If you didn't act like a bloody shark and attack anything that piqued your curiosity..."

"Well if I don't attack it, how am I supposed to know if I can kill it or not?"

"Pffft. This is true." Wrie finally conceded. "And it was still funny."

Huckle gave a great gusty sigh of exasperation as he eyed the two young woman sitting side by side at the bar, "Yes, of course, but I was attempting to make it a little more dramatic... It's more interesting that way."

"I wouldn't have minded." Wrie said waving her little umbrella around for emphasis, and mindfully ignoring the skeletal hand trying to pluck the thing from her grip. "Only I wasn't in it."

Huckle wagged his arms around in an aggravated little dance of motion, irately exclaiming, "I was jsut getting there, if you'd let me keep going!"

Pyro gave him a peculiar little squinty look as she slung her elbow onto the countertop and propped her chin in her hand, "But, we met before that part."

"But it would've been more dramatic for you to meet through some strife, or destiny wrought brilliance... Er, come to think of it, how did you meet?" the Master of the Hole asked, suddenly reaching up to scratch at his beard.

Pyro rumintated a moment before looking at Wrie, "Like most every other adventurer, I suppose: Surrounded by snails." Suddenly in a viper quick motion the silver haired mage jabbed a finger that cracked lightly with magic in her temper at her friend, "_She_ still thinks they're the root of all evil, to."

Wrie took a moment to look shocked, and disgruntled before she slammed her fist down on the counter cracking the sentinel shell top with the weight of her heavy metal gauntlet with a thud and a rattly clang, "That's because they are! I am telling you that the reason we kill them so early is because they are the most dangerous monster in existance. You have to stop them while they're still weak, you know."

"I think your just a loony and ought to be locked up." a new raspy drawl broke in as skeletal fingers finally managed to snatch the bright blue paper umbrella from the very red, red head.

Whipping around Wrie glared at the death-in-miniature that was hovering nearby, "Gimme that back, Belphegor!"

"Won't!"

"Give!"

"No!"

From beside Pyro a rather small dragon lifted its head and peered at the arguing master and pet, and gave a soft snuffle of amusement. Pyro nodded solemnly as Belphegor hid the umbrella up inside his robes, and Wrie made a face yelling something about bones and a mallet. The dragon pawed the dish in front of it, tilting it as he peered around to see if there was any food left, sighed unhappily upon finding not a crumb, and looked at the mage, "Weren't you saying something about a weird girl in Henesys the other day, Master?"

Pyro looked momentarily confused before, "Oh! Oh right, her." She leaned forward then waving Huckle and dragon closer, and cupped her hand alongside her cheek to indicate the secrecy as she spoke in a stage whisper, "Maya in Henesys... We think she might be a drug dealer. She had us get her this medicine for her illness, but we've spent a good deal of time there and she asks the same of _all_ the people, you know. We think that the illness is just a front." As the old bartender chortled, the dragon gave Pyro large imploring eyes, and after a moment she rolled her eyes, dug out another carton of food and dumped it into his dish, "There you go, Beelzebub." she sighed. "Pig."

A loud crash, and a shouted curse in the background had Huckle turning away toward the still arguing duo: Wrie at this point had her battle hammer out, and was chasing the undersized reaper around attempting to pulverize him, "Knock it off you two, or I'll toss you down Eos tower!" the old man hollered.

The result was the same as it always was, instantly both Wrie and Pyro got mortified looks on their faces, lunging forward in terror as they both shouted "NO!"

Even if one of them wasn't having the threat directed at them, they always reacted that way for some strange reason.

Slowly Wrie wobbled back to her stool and sunk down, looking dejected and like someone had kicked her puppy. Belphegor followed after her, absently clicking his fangs on the 'handle' of the umbrella, "What's so bad about Eos tower? Other than the place is bloody bright, and cutsie."

Pyro shot Belphegor a wide eyed look, and gave something that sounded oddly like a whimper, "What _isn't_ bad about Eos tower?" she asked, her voice a bit hoarse.

Wrie glared darkly, "That place..."

Pyro stared at the wall, "The tower of doom... One hundred floors of absolute terror."

Wrie shuddered, "Ludibrium is horrifying enough as is, but add Eos into the equation... Well, whoever Eos was he was a sadistic sucker."

Huckle set down two new drinks for the mage and the warrior, tugging the brim of his hat down a bit lower he asked, "I've never been out to Eos, why does it always get you girl's so worked up?"

Pyro and Wrie traded haunted looks, "We've been down the tower one time, and back up it." Pyro muttered quietly. "All the way down to the bottom, to Omega sector."

"We weren't strong then."

"There as much running and screaming. More than usual, I mean."

"A lot more. We never thought we'd get out."

"It was all very terrifying, I don't really like thinking about it."

"She had a bad run in with block golems." Wrie whispered as an aside. "Anyway," the garnet haired warrior said in a louder voice. "We ought to be going. Quests to do..."

"Monsters to kill!" Pyro put in sounding joyful again.

"Money to get." Wrie added. "I do like money."

With that the pair hopped up, Pyro grabbed her staff, Wrie her shield and hammer and the to wandered toward the exit. Belphegor paused long enough to jab Beelzebub in the wings since the dragon was still licking his dish, before the pair scrambled after their masters.


	2. Aqua Road Adventures I

**Disclaimer: **I have no rights to Nexon or Maple story, I was simply bored.

**A/N: **If you haven't guessed yet, this story is fairly pointless, and silly. Here's more of the same.

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Sliding down that last rope Wrie released her hold once she neared the end of it's limits and dropped like a stone the last several feet to land with a low reverberating clang, and a... splash. Stepping to the side with that fun little slushing sound (the one made by moving water) Pyro dropped down next to her, immediately making a face as the water soaked her robes through and through.

Floating several feet above them Belphegor gave a rattly cackle, "Oh that's rich, the looks on your faces right now. Big bad monster slayers stumped but a few feet of water."

"Uh, Bel..." The undersized reaper stopped laughing to look at the dragon that was fluttering near by, his head cocked to the side, "Who're you talking to...?"

Belphegor looked down to find that Wrie and Pyro were already clambering downward, the water slowly getting higher around them, chattering as they went. Sighing he floated after them slowly, his purple robes skimming the surface of the water, "No one, Beel... No one at all."

------

The four emerged from the bottom of the tower into the underwater world, bubbles occasionally escaping as they 'breathed' out. Beelzebub gave a long drawn out happy sound as he wooshed through the water, skimming past coral beds and outracing random fish.

Pyro gazed absently around at the scenery until a sudden sharp jab in her upper arm alerted her that Wrie wanted her attention. Turning her head to come face to face with the forbiding grate of her friend's helmet she quirked a brow curiously. Wrie directed her attention toward Belphegor who was looking even more floaty than normal. After staring for several seconds she tried, "Yeah, what about him?"

"How's he breathing bubbles, Py?" Wrie asked, that peculiar echo to her voice that occured when she wore those face covering sort of helms.

Perplexed Pyro scratched her cheek with the top of her staff, head tilting a bit, "For that matter, how does he _eat_?"

Belphegor, apparently having heard enough of this (and probably having heard it too many times) spoke in a mocking tone, "For that matter, how are you two _still alive_?"

Wrie rattled her shield as she adjusted it for a moment then tipped her helmeted head in a way to indicate the intensity of her thoughts, "D'you mean in general... or with the whole underwater thing?"

Belphegor's boney jaws hung open, and he seemed rather stumped by that question, "I well... You know, I don't actually think I want to know." He stated firmly, before drifting past the pair.

Pyro shrugged, and after a moment of consideration started forward, moving into that bouncy 'moonwalker' gait before pushing off in long bounding leaps along the trail through the reefs. A few seconds later Wrie followed, giving slight clangs each time she touched down causing her armor to rattle.

------

Not much later they reached an area with a drop off that was covered in... large blue lumps. The duo stood together gazing curiously at the odd disfigurement of the ocean floor, and after a moment Wrie wondered aloud, "Are those monsters?"

The little golden baby dragon zipped nearby, peering down his stubby snout at the mass, "Looks like it." he gurgled.

Belphegor drifted along showing his absolute disinterest, "Nooo, the seabed has _cancer_. Whatever. Would you two get a move on? I can see the place just ahead."

Giving the midget death a glare that was lost since her face was hidden Wrie started picking her way among the snoozing beasts. She was a good few feet in among them when she heard a sharp thwack from behind her, immediately followed by a honking bark. Freezing up she stared upward into the shadow of her helm, and the bit of sea she could see through the grate like front, "Pyro, please tell me you didn't just attack one."

Pyro watched absently as the creature she'd smacked shook its head, pawed at it with a flipper then slowly looked up toward her. She didn't think she could kill these. Darn. Upon hearing Wrie's comment she retorted, "All right, then, I didn't."

"Ooooh," Belphegor cooed, "I think they're a bit upset."

For indeed the sea of seal like creatures were waking up: All along the area heads were lifting up, and turning to zero in on the invaders. Everyone remained still; Wrie stared toward the watery outline of civilization, Pyro had a staring contest... and then Beelzebub finally seemed to waken from a trance, "I want my mommy." he gibbered, whipping around and zipping toward Pyro. His small feet grabbed hold of her shoulder as he pulled himself to a stop peering around her head.

The sudden motion seemed to goad the monsters into action, and the entire mass of them seemed to start seething, bawling, and generally making a dreadful racket. The feeling of charging magic coarsed through the water, and Wrie gave a yelp at the feeling of it, "It just had to be monsters with magic, didn't it?!" she hollered to no one in particular, throwing her shield up to try and deflect a headbutt from one of the closer monsters, and stumbling back a few paces from the blow.

"AHHHH!" Pyro agreed as she leapt to the side to avoid the discharge of some sort of electrical spell, immediately having to lunge in the other direction as the ground sprouted icey spikes.

"Hey! Hey now, no chewing the robes!" Belphegor yelped flailing boney hands at the head of a small pink seal that'd come flying out of the mass to start gnawing at his cloak. "A little help here!!"

Wrie darted around a large blue walrus like thing, bringing up her war hammer to lock with the impending fangs of another one, yelping as the connection sent tremors all up her arm. Pyro scrambled along to her left, clawing past the monsters on her hands and knees at times. A squeal of shock had Wrie stepping over, and bringing her shield up just in time to save the mage from getting skewered by more ice.

Pyro regained her feet clutching her staff in one hand, and bracing her hat with the other as she darted around the attacking bodies, "I think its running and screaming time now!" She hollered.

Wrie heard her as she reached her side, "I think it has been for awhile!"

"True."

"I mean, after all, we have been running."

"No screaming though."

"Oh would you two _shut up_, and get this thing off of me?!" Belphegor screeched, whirling around in circles like a dog, grasping for the baby seal.

Pyro hefted her staff, and sent a blast of magic at it causing it to squeak and let go, falling to the wayside as they charged past willy nilly. Belphegor fell back, grabbing onto Wrie's shoulder armor, and allowing himself to be towed along much like the cowering Beelzebub.

Just then, with blasts of magic screaming past, and a horde of honking beasts on their heels things seemed like they could only improve, and indeed it seemed like they did. The hoots and calls fell back, the magic stopped coming, yet the pair kept running: Safety was looming nearer and nearer...

Then the ground disappeared from under their feet, and they started to sink quickly downward.

"Oh, you're kidding me." Wrie said, staring down at an even larger mass of the monsters waiting below the drop off. Up above the water boiled with activity as that lot surged out into open sea to continue the pursuit; down on the sea floor the activity began to waken the reinforcements.

"Look! Look! Just there, if we get there we'll be okay!" Belphegor screeched; sounding nearly hysterical now, as he jabbed a skeletal finger toward a bridge over a chasm.

Wrie's head twitched as she looked between the attacking horde, and saftey. Beside her Pyro began whirling her arms, and kicking out clawing her way into a position more paralell with the ground before swishing forward: Swimming. Wrie who was sinking a lot faster than the mage began clawing her way frantically through the water after her friend.

Freezers and Sparker's hurtled through the water, some staying on the 'ground' and hurling magic at the fleeing quartet. The duo twisted and shimmied as best they could as they pulled themselves over the heads of the bawling force of fury.

Pyro hit the ground near the bridge first and let out a shriek as the massive bulk of a dark blue walrus whirled by a few feet overhead, the drag of the water nearly taking her hat with it. Wrie smacked into the ground beside her, quite litterally as she propelled herself forward to avoid a blast of electricity. Almost immediately Wrie began scrambling toward the bridge fighting to her feet from her hands and knees and thumping up the short flight of steps, Pyro at her side.

As soon as the two hit the top of the stairs they could feel the slide of magic over them, and turned in concert to watch a couple hundred angry monsters slam into a protective barrier keeping them out.

Belphegor hooted in amusement as one of the paler blue ones smacked its head repeatedly against the barrier, the small pink one on it's head flopping and squawling in outrage, "Haha! Take that you stupid overfleshed dolts! Haa, we win!! MUH HA HA HAAA!" he cackled away floating a few inches before the barrier clacking his fangs, and waving his boney hands mockingly at the monsters. Then the mini-death gave a frightened yelp as one of the larger darker beasts slammed into the barrier right in front of him, causing him to jerk back.

Wheezing lightly Wrie finally managed to straighten from where she was clutching at the railing of the bridge, "Do you... have any... idea... how hard... it is.. to.. swim in.. armor?" She gasped.

Pyro blinked over at her and said quite matter of factly, "No, not really. I don't wear armor."

"I hate you." Wrie informed her.

"You say the nicest things, Wrie." Pyro returned before wandering off along the bridge patting Beelzebub on the head as the little dragon bemoaned his fate, and the fact that he'd nearly lost his twelve portions of lunch.

Wrie dragged herself up and stumped after the pair, Belphegor floating listlessly behind her, "Life," the skeleton informed the world at large. "sucks."

"Death to, apparently." Wrie tossed back.

A few moments later they found themsevles staring up at the montainous rise of coral reef and rock like buildings that made up Aqua Road's version of a town.

"Well." Pyro said.

"Well." Wrie agreed.

"What now?" Pyro asked.

"Well," Wrie repeated, "I need to see some person named Muse, or something."

"All right, then lets find Muse."

The two tottered onward, up a likely seeming flight of steps and emerged into...

"Dry air!" Beelzebub hissed in shock, as he immediately dropped to the ground since he wasn't buoyed by the water anymore. Belphegor hooted quietly since he didn't have any real mass to drop, therefore he kept on floating as he normally did: He was, though, quite a bit more sodden than usual.

"Oh, that's disgusting. My grieves are squleching." Wrie whined, sitting down on a step and tugging the metal plated footwear off. Upon upturning it a fountain of water emptied out, just as little gushes of water drained from the openings in her helmet.

"Eugh." Pyro added, staring mournfully down at her clothing which was plastered to her body.

Wrie emptied out her other grieve before pulling them back on and standing up (which caused another gush of water to empty from bits of her armor, much to her annoyance) then the two squelched along, up some stairs, and clambered up a ladder followed faithfully by Belphegor and Beelzebub... and a trail of puddles.

Eventually they found themselves confronted by a guy with greenish dreadlocks, and a jelly hat (or was it part of his head? No one thought it prudent to ask, at the time). "Uh," Wrie ventured, causing the 'person' to turn toward them questioningly, "We're looking for Muse."

Pyro, for her part, was frowning at the pig's romping about in a rather inadequate seeming inclosure, "Who ever heard of a zoo underwater." she murmured to herself, tapping the bottom of her staff against the ground. She was tugged from her musings as Wrie prodded her, occasioning Pyro to toss the helmeted head a curious look, "What d'you want, Bucket head?"

"We've gotta go up, One Eye." Wrie informed her, pointing upward as though to emphasize her point.

Heaving a sigh Pyro nodded, and waved her staff in a 'you first' sort of gesture, Wrie grumbled, then clanked off to start the ascent. Upon reaching the next platform they were confronted by the fuzzy sight of wolf like monsters, and yeti's. "These people are clearly insane." Pyro declared, hurrying onward.

There at the top they found Muse, a very fishy girl. Wrie went straight to her, never noticing what was in the pen there, and instead waved at the fish girl, "Hey, hey, are you Muse?" She called.

The fish girl turned toward her and offered a sweet smile, "I am Muse, your guide here at the zoo!" she agreed chirpily.

Wrie stared for a beat before saying, "I need a photo album or something, I was told you've got them?" She steadfastly ignored Pyro who was floundering around at the corner of her vision, pointing and gawping at something.

"Oh yes," agreed Muse. "But it's my last one."

"I need it." Wrie repeated, speaking a tad slowly.

"Well, I had another person asking after it." Muse told her. "And I asked him for some snow in return, I've never seen snow. He went off to El Nath to fetch some."

Rolling her eyes, Wrie was for once glad for the face concealing grate of her helm, and then, an idea struck, "I've got some snow with me."

The fanciful fishy's features lit up with intrigue, "Really?"

"Oh yes, it's my last bit and I'd thought to keep it.. but you can have it if you'll give me the book." Wrie pulled an empty bottle out, and held it out.

Muse frowned, "But, that's just an empty bottle!" She protested.

"Well, you said yourself you've never seen snow... You didn't realize snow was invisible?" She asked in surprise. "That's why people like it so, you can only see it when it falls then it vanishes. You never know when you've gotten some unless you catch it just right!"

"Oh my," Muse breathed, shocked.

"Exactly, that man could have tried to scam you."

"Oh, dear me, thank you for the help. I... I guess I could give you my photo album." She murmured.

"You can have my snow as well, as thanks for being so helpful." Wrie encouraged.

Muse smiled beautifully, and handed over the book while taking the bottle and looking at it with awe, "Thanks ever so." She said.

"Not a problem." Wrie assured her as she turned away, feeling quite smug. It was at this point that she finally noticed Pyro dancing and swooshing around like she had to use the bathroom, "_What_" she started, staring in shock, "is your problem?"

"Wrieeeee," Pyro whined in a hiss (it was rather odd to hear, really), "It's a _balrog_!" She pointed at said balrog with her staff in a quick, jerky motion.

Wrie turned to gape stupidly at the huge ugly mug that was leering at them from where the thing paced, "That is completely inadequate for keeping a bloody balrog." Wrie announced.

"Yes." Pyro agreed with great vehemence.

"Brings back memories though, doesn't it?" Wrie murmured thoughtfully as the pair traded glances (sort of, bloody helmets).

"Do I want to know?" Belphegor asked in a way that said he was quite sure that he _didn't_.

Muse who had been watching the pair quite curiously broke the silence that had decsended after the undersized reaper's words, "What's wrong with the balrog? He's really quite harmless, you know."

"Oh, I'm sure he is." Wrie assured, sounding a wee bit sarcastic. "We were just remembering this one time... You see it was our first boat ride to Orbis..."

_Pyro bounced up the loading ramp like an excited puppy, her purple eyes wide and eager. This would be the pairs first time off of Victoria since they'd arrived here! New places to explore, new monsters to kill! Wrie followed behind her giving the other people who were boarding a rather peculiar stare, some of them looked down right jumpy... How odd. Shrugging it off she hurried to catch up with the excited mage. They technically shouldn't have been making the trip yet, their training was, as yet, incomplete but... Well, the pair tended to be adventurous and curious. (Not to mention they got bored rather easily...)_

_Soon enough they were standing around on the deck listening to the whine of the boat kicking up for take off. Strangely as soon as they hit the skies a good group of people made a mass exodus down into the hold, dragging the shocked pair along._

_Stuffed by the mass of people into a dank corner Wrie pondered in a hushed voice, "Why, are we cowering in the dark?"_

_Pyro shrugged and responded, "I think that patch of mold just moved a few feet to the left..."_

_Several long minutes of silence later, and finally Wrie'd had, had enough, "Well, I'm feeling stuffy I'm going to get some fresh air." She hissed, and began shoving her way through the crowd._

_After staring after her for a moment Pyro called, "Wait for me!" and began to scramble after the other. Soon, though, she had lost Wrie in the crowd. Something else, however, caught her attention, "Wait a minute, what's this?" She mused aloud, scuttling curiously toward a ladder that went deeper downward, "Wonder whats down there...?" Thus, she began her descent._

_Wrie emerged from the huddling group near the door, and opened it a crack peering out to see if there really was a reason to worry... and immediately found there was. "Holy...!" She yelped, slamming the door closed. Whirling around and placing her back against the door she stared wide eyed into the darkness. It was about then that the screaming started filtering in, as well as earth shattering roars._

_Meanwhile, Pyro found herself descending not into further darkness, but into light eventually stepping off the ladder into a dangly sort of balcony on the ships belly. "Whoooa!" She crowed. "Wait until I tell Wrie about this!" Scurrying to the edge she peered over to have a look at the world below, and screamed bloody murder at the sight of a massive skull wearing, bat winged monster flying toward her from below. Needless to say she fled back up that ladder faster than a cat up a tree when someone turned a hose on it._

_The pair found each other's gazes over the heads' of the crowd, and a bit of silent communication seemed to flow with the wide eyed stares of shock and all, when a quiet voice dared ask, "W-what's going on up there?"_

_"What do you mean?" Wrie dared to venture._

_"I think I hear screams..." another person said._

_"Nope, no screams." Pyro said. _

_"Just the wind, we're moving pretty fast." said Wrie, studiously ignoring what sounded like fists pounding on the door behind her and a muffled cry for help._

_Needless to say, they joined in the cowering after that._

"And that," Wrie said loftily. "is the problem with balrogs."

Pyro nodded her head in vigorious agreement while Belphegor piped up, "You know what, I've changed my mind... I actually _do_ want to know how you two are still alive."

"No time for that now." Wrie said. "I'd like to do a bit of shopping before we continue on..."

Pyro glanced at Muse who was currently staring at them oddly, "D'you know where the shops are around here? We're kind of new in the place."

"Ah, you'll have to go back out and swim up to the door with the golden ladder, and the shade over it..." Muse responded distantly.

"Thanks!" Pyro hollered, and off they went.

------

After getting the water out of their cloths (and armor) as best they could they split up to do a bit of poking around the few shops the place had to offer. By the time Pyro was done stock piling provisions, and began clambering back up to where she'd left Wrie sifting through the armor and weaponry she could already hear Belphegor's hoots and cackles.

"Dear god." Wrie proclaimed as Pyro walked up looking curious. "I look like a bloody roman swimsuit model!"

Pyro blinked taking in the new armor Wrie was sporting, and had to agree. "It does look like a swimsuit."

"A swimsuit with spikes." Wrie agreed, turning around.

"Well," Pyro said trying to sound optimistic, "least you've got a face again."

"True." said a begrudging Wrie.

"And it's better than the spandex."

"It wasn't spandex!"

"Sure looked like it to me."

"All right, I'll give you that... But it still wasn't spandex!"

As the pair wandered back out of the shop, and into the waters of Aqua road, they left Belphegor feeling quite pleased he didn't actually need to breathe as he'd probably have suffocated due to his laughing fit.


End file.
